Languages and Dialects of Spain: A Linguistic Journey
Languages and Dialects of Spain
The Murcian Dialect
The Murcian dialect takes features of Valencian and Andalusian. The most characteristic features of Murcian are:
- Loss of intervocalic d, b, g: Kaéza for cabeza (head)
- Dealing with r and l when followed: Amal for amar (to love)
- Diminutive suffix -ico, -iqui becomes: paharíkio
The Canary Dialect
Canary traits are: “It has many similarities with the Andalusian: lisp, aspiration of the j, r and l confusion, etc.”
- Final consonants tend to disappear: arbo
- The tone is closer to Caribbean dialects.
- Vosotros is not used as you, but ustedes with the third-person plural verb: ustedes no saben.
Catalan
Catalan is a Romance language, the product of evolution from Latin. It is the first language in non-Castilian Spain by the number of speakers. It is spoken in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. Also spoken in Andorra, in parts of southern France, and Alghero. It is said that Catalan in Spain has at least two types of sub-dialects: East and West. The Balearic Islands, by contrast, belongs to the Eastern dialects of Catalan spoken in the Balearic Islands. It includes, for example, the subdialect of Mallorca.
Galician
Galician is also a Romance language, the result of the evolution of Vulgar Latin spoken in the area north and south of the Rio Minho. Galician and Portuguese were initially the same language, but from the fourteenth century, they began to differentiate as a result of the separation of politics and history of both communities. It is quite influenced by Celtic and also features a bit in common with the current Portuguese. Especially in the lexicon, it is highly influenced by Castilian. Although there is dialectal fragmentation, some point to three areas: the western, central, and eastern.
Valencian
Valencian is the official language of the autonomous community of Valencia together with Castilian, since 1981, when its autonomous status was promulgated. Valencian is the most important variety of Catalan. In this sense, it is believed that the Aragonese were influential in the differences that eventually separated Valencian from Catalan. Valencian is characterized by such a large number of Mozarabic and Arabic words and also by an influx of loans from Castile.
The Basque or Euskera
The Basque or Euskera is a language of unknown origin. Probably the only pre-Roman language that has remained after the Romanization. It is spoken in the Basque Country and Navarra in the north. Outside Spain, it is spoken in some small areas across the Pyrenees. Inside, there were many varieties of Basque, so, for the survival and development of the Basque language, it has been necessary to search for a single variety that is cultivated for all Basque speakers.
Bilingualism and Diglossia
A rather controversial issue would be if we were to raise the linguistic situation of languages in the same area that share official status. In these peninsular areas, is there bilingualism or diglossia? Is there a situation of equivalence or equality between them and, therefore, are used or are spoken interchangeably in all circumstances (bilingualism) or, conversely, is there a dominant or standing language and another relegated to certain times or occasions (diglossia)?